At a Glance
My Role: Project Lead
Platform: Web Application
Type: Online Ordering Program
Date: Dec 2016 - Mar 2017
Client: Ordereze
Team Members Referenced:
SURVEY
COMPETITION ANALYSIS
USER JOURNEY
INFO ARCHITECTURE
WIREFRAMING
SKETCHING
PERSONA
PROTOTYPING
The Challenge
During the winter of 2016-2017, Ordereze was looking to completely overhaul its online ordering platform. The challenge was to create a dual-prong experience: an online ordering environment that could be enjoyed by the patrons ordering food, as well as the restaurateurs operating the back-end.
While Ordereze knew they wanted a modernized version of their current offering, their primary goal was clear: provide a seamless experience that could accommodate the branding of any restaurant possible.
The Solution
The Results
Presentation & Development
After we presented our final proposal to all necessary company personnel it was clear they loved everything they saw. The President's rarely-seen excitement made proved that we provided everything they were looking for.
Once the international dev team was ready, the CTO flew out to Greece help them launch their development efforts. After months of hard work, a prototype of the application was upon us in the form of a company-wide presentation. Seeing our ideas come to life in the form of a fully functioning program was outstanding. The highlight, was the reaction of our coworkers during our presentation — they were thrilled with our final product and of our understanding of their clients' methods and needs.
Personal Takeaway
The goal of this application was very humbling. Online Ordering Pro has exceptional potential to change the lives of thousands of small-business owners across North America, while also potentially revolutionizing the experience of millions of patrons. Nothing makes a UX venture more rewarding than enjoying the effect your project has on others.
Company Results
After generating a huge buzz around the incoming product, Online Ordering Pro was released mid-July. The products popularity has quickly begun growing into the company's flagship feature. You can learn more about Online Ordering Pro on Ordereze's website.
RESEARCH:
DISCOVER
Internal Focus Group
Purpose:
Before beginning anything else, my teammate and I held a kick-off focus group with heads of the company: the DOO, CTO, and CEO. The goal was to lead an in-depth discussion regarding the current online ordering system's strengths & weaknesses, our available access to development department members, as well as any specific expectations they had of the new platform. After a couple of hours of constructive feedback, we got what we needed.
Insight:
Purpose:
To better understand the patron-facing platform was up against, we set out to understand our competition. From similar companies like Eat24 to specific restaurant chains like Panera Bread, we dove into the best online ordering experiences in order to beat them at their own game.
Insight:
After aggregating key features and aspects, we generated a competitor analysis matrix to fully comprehend the attractions and flaws of each. By re-configuring this data into a visual structure, we could better digest the competitors' strengths and flaws. This information would prove to be vital later on in the research phase.
Survey
Purpose:
The purpose of our survey was to better understand the expectations held by the current customer base regarding the application's restaurateur-facing side. We carefully structured the survey's questioning to ensure a lack of bias, as well as a prioritization of time-sensitivity. After several months of email marketing exposure, I was able to launch a campaign that was met with a 42.7% open rate and 9.3% click rate. Our survey email campaign gained insight into the following:
Based on the hundreds of survey responses, we learned the follow:
"If the online ordering system could somehow integrate with our POS system, that would be great"
Danielle, Manager at Gadient Hospitality Group
"I'm very nervous to proceed with online ordering, because our staff may not be able to handle this responsibility"
Jane, Manager at Gennaro's Eatery
RESEARCH:
EMPATHIZE
Personas
Purpose:
The feedback we received from the survey allowed us to better empathize with our customers, providing a vantage point for understanding the admin users. That being said, more insight was needed to empathize with the potential end users.
We utilized previously unused end user data collected from the company's CRM - this allowed us to construct a User Persona to represent the average end user.
Insights:
By aggregating and organizing the survey results we were able to come to the following conclusion: speed and simplicity was of the essence.
Purpose:
We then created a user journey map to communicate an understanding of our patron user's stages of ordering. This enabled us to better plan the UI by understanding the user's chronology of thought & action.
While creating the story, I made sure to include examples of forgetfulness. It's essential to instill a sense of realism when dealing with the behaviors of real people.
Insights:
The story was eye-opening: the need for quick-access functionality stood center-stage.
RESEARCH:
DEFINE
Feature Listing
Utilizing the research's results, it was time to understand what our application needed to accomplish. We took to the white boards and zoned in on both sides: the Patron side and the Restaurateur side.
For the sake of not bombarding the dev team with an extensive laundry list, we decided to divide the features based on prioritization.
Patron End qualities:
Restaurateur End qualities:
The final step before diving into any UI specifics was the information architecture. This step was possibly the quickest of all.
Notice how the potential inclusion of quick-access capabilities enabled some IA complexities.
Construct
CONSTRUCT:
IDEATE
Sketching
Time to bunker down and map out the entire UI of both the patron and restaurateur sides.
To do so, we were granted sole access to Customer Support's sacred training room (a rare occurrence). Using a recipe of 3 computers, 2 whiteboards, a projector, and days-worth of work, we eventually drew up an outline of what we considered to be the perfect interfaces for the company's online ordering platform.
Wireframing
After completing the sketches, I took to Balsamiq, the company's only in-house wire framing software, to craft the official versions.
CONSTRUCT:
VALIDATE
In-House Usability Testing
Purpose:
Time to test out what we have so far.
To validate UI design within budgetary restraints, we conducted laminated paper prototyping with Customer Success members. Lamination ensured quick reusability.
Insight:
Quick access was highlighted more so than ever.
Whether unfulfilling edit capabilities within the side-cart, lack of accessibility within the checkout process, or the non-clickable map interface on the location pop-up, the natural tendencies of in-house members were eye opening.
DESIGN:
STYLIZE
The pre-project decision to allow typography, coloring, text content, and imagery to be dependent on the restaurant-specific branding, this design phase of this project very simple.
For restaurant-specific branding capabilities, we stuck with functionality identical to other in-house software.
DESIGN:
FINALIZE
Hi-Fi Mockups
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